Gas leak prompts evacuations in south Dodge City neighborhood

Authorities evacuated eight houses near 204 Sycamore St. Monday night due to a natural gas leak.
    The leak originated in a half-inch underground line near the street at 204 Sycamore, but the cause was unclear, said Curt Floerchinger, communications manager for Black Hills Energy. He said the gas was going through a sewer line in the area, prompting authorities to evacuate the homes surrounding the leak as a precaution.
    Floerchinger added that the people who were evacuated would be able to return home yet that night.
    "In fact, I'm guessing that within the next ten minutes or so, they'll be able to go back into their homes," he said.
    He said that the crew was working on fixing the problem but would not be able to finish repairs until this morning.
    A woman who owns several properties in the area, including 204 Sycamore, said she noticed a strong smell of leaking gas at about 1 or 1:30 p.m. and called Black Hills to report it. She said that a utility crew did not find any problems, but the smell persisted and neighbors started complaining about it.
    The woman, who declined to give her name, said she called Black Hills a second time to report the leak, and the crew returned. She added that evacuation began at about 6:30 p.m.
    Floerchinger said a Black Hills crew checked the homes in the immediate area and determined that they were not the source of the leak. He added that it took the crew a while to find the exact location of the leak.
    Floerchinger said the Dodge City Police and fire departments assisted with the evacuation.

Reach Eric Swanson at (620) 408-9917 or e-mail him at eric.swanson@dodgeglobe.com.